Link
by Dranoel Winters
Summary: "Link looked at his reflection one last time and wondered if the scar would always be a link to the past."


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The Legend of Zelda: Link

By Leonard Doxtator and Jennifer Bickley

Inspired by Saria's Quest 

Also written by Jennifer Bickley

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Disclaimer: _The Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time, Link, Saria and most all other charters _are property of Nintendo. This story was created without permission form Nintendo, has no official stuff of any kind so don't sue me! Monarth, Zair and any other original characters from Saria's Quest are property of Stacie Hawking and are not to be used without permission. If by chance I have an original character ask me before you wish to use them.

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Dreaming

Link sat up in his bed gasping for air and drenched in sweat. As sense returned to him he began to calm down and he started to try to make sense of the dream he just had. Looking next to him he saw Saria still asleep and no doubt she was having dreams of the future they would have together. Link remembered how hard Saria had fought and struggled to free him from Ganondorf's spell and then save him from the marriage to Ruto. In Saria's adventure she had found the seventh great fairy who taught her a magic spell that could make her age to any year she wanted. She was seventeen now, and when Link first discovered this he could not believe his eyes, she was so beautiful. He could see then how happy she was in her sleep and decided against waking her.

The dream continued to bother him. The flashing images, the battle with a shadow, it did not make any sense at all. That is when he remembered another image, one of Saria standing in front of the forest temple holding the book of songs he had given her for her Fairy Day present. The image was crystal clear in his mind, she was looking out in worry as if she were waiting for someone . . . to return. Then Link recalled a part of the battle he had overlooked before, neither he nor the shadow he was fighting had a shield. Link looked over to the corner where his only weapon, the Master Sword, sat. He figured that day he would go to town and buy a new Hylian Shield, and use that until he could get his Mirror Shield back from Ruto.

As if beaconing him, the dream would not leave his mind.

"Come to me." Link jumped out of the bed as he heard the empty, hollow voice. "Come fight me!" Link couldn't remember who the voice belonged to, but it was chillingly familiar.

"Hey! What's wrong?" Navi had just flown into the room with Zair, Saria's fairy, close behind. The feeling something evil was calling out to Link had awakened Navi. Zair was with Navi so he instinctively followed her to check on Saria.

"Link, what is wrong?" Navi continued to question. For a second Link could not hear her, for the voice was calling to him again.

"She is pretty, perhaps she will enjoy the afterlife!" Link started to get dressed as fast and as quietly as he could. Navi was starting to worry and was about to shout something to Link, but he made a motion to be quiet. Link picked up his boots and went to Saria's side. He knelt down closer to her and gave her a fair-well kiss on the cheek.

"I will return," he whispered, "I promise." Outside the room he put on his boots and started for the entrance of the forest temple. Navi had figured Link did not want to wake Saria, so she asked him again what was wrong.

"Link what is the matter?"

"He is coming. He is coming if I do not stop him. He is coming to kill Saria and me if I do not fight him now!" Navi seemed puzzled.

"Who?" It was the only logical thing to say.

"I do not know, but I know he is waiting for me." Link continued to run for the entrance of the temple. Navi and Zair followed close behind. When they finally reached the entrance, Link stopped and turned to the two fairies. "If Saria awakes before I return, tell her what I have gone to do." Navi turned and looked at Zair.

"Got it?"

"No Navi. I need you to stay here and help keep Saria calm until I return."

"Why? We're a team." Navi had never disobeyed an order before. Maybe the danger was greater then he had thought.

"I'm sorry, but no. Zair could use your company anyway." Navi fluttered down to Link and gave what seemed to be a big fairy hug. "Tell Saria I will return." With that the Hero of Time ran out the door of the forest temple.

Link had no idea who or what this evil was, he just knew it was dangerous to him and more importantly Saria. Link leaped down from the broken stairs and landed softly on the grassy meadow's floor. Immediately he started looking around for Saria's guardian, the forest dragon Monarth. There was no immediate sign of him, but that meant nothing, for the great dragon could alter the color of his scales to blend in perfectly with his surroundings or even have his scales reflect what was on the other side of him, creating the illusion that he was invisible. Link looked for a distorted outline of any sort. Nothing. He knew that Saria had instructed Monarth not to let anyone in the temple, he wondered if this meant not to let anyone out as well. Link knew that seeing Monarth during the day was impossible, little alone in the early hours of the morning. Link felt no presence and was sure enough Monarth was not in the immediate area, so he stood up and headed into the lost woods.

On top of the forest temple, Monarth watched as Link looked around, then left. The great dragon could feel evil and he could sense that Link had to go. He would stay here and keep other evil away from Saria, until Link returned.

Link emerged from Kokiri forest and crossed the little bridge that led to the outside world. Here, on this bridge were so many memories. Memories of wondering where it went and when he first left Saria and the Lost Woods. Link stopped for a moment to embrace in his history. He had not stopped for long when he heard the voice again.

"I'm here waiting for you to leave her. Waiting for my chance."

"WHO ARE YOU? WHAT DO YOU WANT?" Link yelled into the darkness of the predawn. At first Link had not expected an answer.

"I want you dead! If I have to kill Saria to get to you, I will!"

"NNNNOOO!" Link ran through the exit to Hyrule field.

Link emerged from the forest running as fast as his feet could carry him. He stopped and took a quick look out into the field. The moon was going down so the sun would rise soon, but the moon was still bright enough to cast shadows of the clouds. In one spot there seemed to be a shadow that was cast by one of the overhead clouds. Unlike the other shadows, however this one was not moving. _That, _Link thought _is where he is. That is where I need to go._ Link started for the shadow that engulfed an area of Hyrule field half way between Lon Lon Ranch and the structure that led to lake Hylia.

Link bravely stepped in the shadow where he could feel the coldness of all that was evil. He also felt the presence of someone; someone he knew. He heard the sound of a sword slicing through the air, and just as quickly and skillfully drew the Master Sword from behind him to block the swing. The two swords connected with a loud metallic clang and an arc of sparks. Link was not totally prepared for the force of the blow and the Master Sword was knocked from his hand into the air. He could only watch as the sword flew into the air and return to the ground. The Master Sword hit the ground with a metallic clang and imbedded the blade a few inches underground. The sword stood straight up out of the ground as if waiting for Link to reclaim it. His attacker had just gotten up, for he had fallen over one of the many plants that grew in the field. The attacker stood in front of one of the oddly placed boulders in Hyrule field, and raised his dark sword to show Link he was ready to continue fighting. Whether he was ready or not.

Link grabbed the handle of the Master Sward and turned towards the dark figure. When he looked at the shadow, he saw at last who had been torturing his mind, the evil creation, Dark Link. Enraged by the threats on Saria's life Link quickly charged a little energy around his sword and charged Dark who was still awaiting Link's first blow.

Saria opened her eyes and let out a peaceful sigh. She reached out for Link's hand next to her, but it was not there. Saria turned to look for him, but he was gone. She sat up in the bed and turned to the corner where Link's only weapons, the Master Sword, should have been. Like the rest of her beloved, it was gone. She began to feel a little annoyed and a little scared. Some of her anger was from the fact that he had left without waking her and giving her a reason to leave. She had worked and struggled so hard to get him out of Ganondorf's ice prison and away from the lovesick fish, Ruto. All of Saria's hard work was for nothing if Link had just run off. Then she felt the fear that something awful was happening and he might not come back to her. If it were urgent enough to take the Master Sword and not wake her to tell her . . .

Something was not right in Saria's mind. She loved Link and she felt he loved her, although he had never actually said it, but for some reason this feeling of abandonment would not leave her mind. Saria got out of the bed and put on a green robe. She left the room that she and Link had spent the night in and began to make her way toward the entrance of the temple. She crossed the room that had the elevator that took people to the basement and the four torches that lit up the temple. As she got closer to the entrance, she heard the tiny fairy voices of Navi and Zair. It sounded as if they were arguing about several things at once. When she finally reached the entrance and stepped onto the soft grass that grew on the natural floor in this small part of the temple, she could finally hear what the two fairies were fighting about.

"You tell her. You're her partner." Navi reasoned to Zair.

"Link's your partner you know where he went, so you tell Saria he is gone." The two fairies turned to Saria who had been listening closely. "Oops!" Saria turned to Navi.

"Where did he go?" She spoke half caring, half in rage.

"We don't know." Navi sadly admitted. Zair couldn't just let Navi try to calm Saria by herself.

"From what he told us, he was off to fight some dark or pure evil that was endangering your life." This soothed Saria's anger a little, but from somewhere suspicion was still clouding her mind. She took a step outside the entrance and looked at the falling moon through the trees. Then she heard the voice.

"He has left you." A cold, dark voice called out to her. "He will not return! He will die by my hand. You will never see each other again. Ha-ha-ha!"

"NNNOOO!" Saria screamed into the emptiness of the early predawn. She turned and ran back into the temple. The scream awakened Monarth, who had been sleeping soundly on the forest temple's rooftop. He looked for the source of the scream, for it sounded of Saria. He searched for a short time and with his curiosity satisfied, he returned to his curled position and went back to sleep.

Hovering above the Forest Temple entrance, Navi and Zair were deciding what to do when Saria ran back inside beneath them. The two fairies looked at each other for a second, then turned to follow her. They were not going to be left behind again.

Saria ran through the temple with the two fairies trailing close behind. She ran into her room and slammed the door behind her. Navi and Zair were not close enough to her to make it inside the room before she had closed the door.

"What is she doing?" Navi asked Zair, who seemed a little puzzled himself. "She is not crying is she?" Zair gestured that he had no clue. They were both concerned for Saria, but all the two fairies could do was wait until she opened the door.

After a few more flaps of the fairies' wings, Saria emerged from her room in full battle gear. She wore the Gerudo tunic she had received during her training with them. On her back was the lengthened Kokiri sword, she had gotten modified for her use. Her long green hair was up in a Gerudo style pony tail, which partially covered the special Hylian shield and bow she and Link had found inside Kokiri castle as kids. Attached by a magical force to her back were the fairy wings of Titania. They allowed Saria to glide through the air and make softer landings from high cliffs. On her belt hung the silver boomerang, a small bomb bag, a pouch full of Deku nuts and a small pouch that held the Ocarina of Time. The Ocarina of Time was on loan from Princess Zelda, for Saria had not had the chance to return it yet.

"Where are you going Saria?" Zair asked.

"_We're_ going to find Link." With that she started for the entrance of the temple.

Link charged Dark with a blue energy charge around the Master Sword and swung with all his might. _CLANG!_ The two swords met each other with equal force from their owners. Link's energy charge met the dark power his opponent now possessed. Dark had gotten stronger since their battle in the water temple. Link now knew that Dark actually had the power to kill a sage, to kill Saria. He could not let that happen, not after all they had been through together. Link readied himself as he cut the air with the Master Sword, aligning the path with Dark's chest. A simple move from Dark allowed him to block the swing and put a force back through Link's sword and cause sever pain in his arm. Link took a step back in pain and charged Dark again. A powerful slash swung down on Dark, as he moved calmly out of the way. Link's swing had missed, he took a chunk out of the ground and hobbled forward a few steps. Link turned to stop any back stabs Dark may try, but Dark had to turn around too and they now the faced each other. 

They were just out of reach of each other, so Dark put one foot out in front of him and raised his shadowed version of the Master Sword behind his head. He then lifted his left hand and taunted Link to come to him. Link still enraged from the threats on Saria's life did not have to think twice about what to do next. The two fought fiercely, continuously exchanging blow for blow, rarely missing each other's sword. Link cut from all angles and Dark would follow with a perfect counter every time. As in the water temple, it was like fighting a mirror. Link swung and chopped at Dark every way he knew how, searching for a weakened point to attack. However, like Link, there was not a place Dark could not defend well. Link began to grow frustrated, Dark fought with the power of Ganondorf's piece of the Triforce and Link fought with his own. They were so evenly matched that there would be no end to this battle. Then Link remembered the temples, the sages. He had the power of the sages behind him as well, where Dark did not. Realizing this, he fought harder and soon easier. Dark began to fall to his power.

Link swung and Dark blocked, but the force of the hit disturbed him. Link would not allow Dark to refocus and risk losing this death match. Dark felt defeat, for he could no longer match Link's power. Dark allowed Link to knock his sword away from his defective position, thus making Link think he could finish him with one last blow. Link raised the Master Sword high and brought it down with all the wrath of the Triforce, the sages and his untold love for Saria. Dark leapt out of the way and Link sliced deep into the ground, causing him to stagger forward for many steps. Link even more enraged, placed both hands on the Master Sword and began to charge energy. Dark could see this and was casting a spell of his own. Dark raised his left hand and charged the dark energy Ganondorf had taught him. Ganondorf used the same spell on Link when he was just a kid. Link had not noticed what Dark was doing and began his next attack before his sword was fully charged. Link raised his head in time to see Dark fire the black energy at him. Reflexively, Link pulled the Master Sword in front of him to block the shot, however, the Master Sword was now fully charged. The dark energy and the energy surrounding the Master Sword exploded on contact with one another. The force sent Link flying back. He landed on his back, his left-hand still gripping the handle of the evil destroying blade. Link struggled to get on one knee and looked up to see what Dark was going to do next. His life flashed before his eyes when he saw Dark had his sword raised high. Link could only pull back his head as the evil slashed down upon him. One image appeared in his mind and in his eyes, that of Saria. Link expected to be dead with his next thought, but only a sharp pain ripped down the side of his face. He could feel his own blood now covering the left half of his face. Link had moved his head back far enough that Dark had only made a slash on his face.

Dark saw his sword cut down the side of Link's face and embed itself into the ground. He could see the blood run down Link's face and fall to the ground. Then something started to happen to him. The shadow that made up his body began to be replaced by flesh. Ganondorf had made him a deal when he found him washed up on the shore of lake Hylia.

"If I am ever gone, you must get the blood of the Hero of Time so you can set me free." Dark had asked what he would get out of it. "You," he recalled Ganondorf saying, "will receive what you want the most." Now here he stood no longer a shadow, but a Hylian. He now had an identity, feelings other than just hatred, a sense of right and wrong. That is when he realized what he had done to Link and Saria. He was dark no more, all the pain and anger in his heart had left. He tried to pull his still dark sword out of the ground, but it wound not budge. The sword had been made for Dark Link, not a Hylian, so he could not remove it from its resting place.

Link looked back up and he was wondering why Dark was not getting ready to strike again. Dark tugged on the embedded sword and Link saw his moment to strike. Link quickly stood back up, dug his right foot in the ground to anchor it and with both hands on the Master Sword swung with all he had left in him.


End file.
